We're Back! A Musician's Story
by Shadowjumper3
Summary: Elise was a street musician and volunteer at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. When Dr. Bleeb told her that they would be picking up new exhibits, she was to go and help them find their way to the museum. But she had no idea that these were no ordinary exhibits. Follow her adventures based on the movie We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story.
1. Prologue

Night life in New York City was, well, lively and it was amazing too. With the blazing lights and the bustling of people, I loved the city. But the one thing I love the most is the music. The sound of a homemade drum beating to a beat, a saxophone serenading a passerby. I am a street musician. My name is Elise. At the moment, I had no last name. My parents died a few months ago and I wanted to avoid going into foster homes. Essentially, I lived on the streets. Anyway, I was in the middle of Central Park scanning my surroundings for a good place to perform. My black guitar case with my acoustic guitar was strapped around my back. My guitar was my "friend" since my parents' death. Other than a backpack I carried with me that had a family picture and some clothes, it was all I had. Now, I relied on music to get around. After 5 minutes of searching for a good spot, I found one. I set down my case and opened it. I picked up my guitar and mentally thought of a suitable song to play. _Drive By by Train._ I thought with a smile. Then, the music just flowed.

 _ **On the other side of a street I knew  
Stood a girl that looked like you  
I guess that's deja vu  
But I thought this can't be true  
'Cause you moved to west L.A or New York or Santa Fe  
Or where ever to get away from me**_

 _ **Oh but that one night  
Was more than just right  
I didn't leave you cause I was all through  
Oh I was overwhelmed and frankly scared as hell  
Because I really fell for you**_

 _ **Oh I swear to ya, I'll be there for ya  
This is not a drive by  
Just a shy guy looking for a two ply  
Hefty bag to hold my love  
When you move me everything is groovy  
They don't like it sue me, mm way you do me  
Oh I swear to you, I'll be there for you  
This is not a drive by**_

 _ **On the other side of a downward spiral  
My love for you went viral  
And I loved you every mile you drove away  
But now here you are again  
So let's skip the "how you been"  
And get down to the "more than friends" at last**_

 _ **Oh but that one night  
Is still the highlight  
I didn't need you until I came to**_

 _ **And I was overwhelmed and frankly scared as hell  
Because I really fell for you**_

 _ **Oh I swear to you, I'll be there for you  
This is not a drive by  
Just a shy guy looking for a two ply  
Hefty bag to hold my love  
When you move me everything is groovy  
They don't like it sue me, mm way you do me  
Oh I swear to ya, I'll be there for ya  
This is not a drive by**_

 _ **Please believe that when I leave  
There's nothing up my sleeve but love for you  
And a little time to get my head together too**_

 _ **On the other side of a street I knew  
Stood a girl that looked like you  
I guess that's deja vu  
But I thought this can't be true, 'cause**_

 _ **Oh I swear to you, I'll be there for you  
This is not a drive by  
Just a shy guy looking for a two ply  
Hefty bag to hold my love  
When you move me everything is groovy  
They don't like it sue me, mm way you do me  
Oh I swear to ya, I'll be there for ya  
This is not a drive by**_

By the time I had finished, there was a pretty decent crowd around where I stood. A burst of applause erupted and I bowed graciously. _Not bad. Not bad at all._ People tossed some of their money into my case and dispersed. Once they left, I made sure I had enough for some clothes and maybe for food. I had at least $5, not as much as I had hoped but it was something. I then head off to the local food market to get some food. I hadn't had an actual meal in a week, so I was pretty hungry. As soon as I arrived, I headed to the meats and grains. I grabbed some turkey and bread and got to the register. The total ended up being more than what I thought it would be and I only had $5. I sadly slunk back and put the food back and stood there for a moment, contemplating my options.

 _I could just woman up and deal with it._

 _Or steal._

My mind started a mental battle with my instincts.

 _Stealing is wrong._

 _But you haven't eaten. You need food. You can starve and die a nobody or steal and live._

I then made a choice. I noticed an elderly-looking man with white hair set a basket down and looking around at the other foods, the basket just sitting there. _I have to do this._ I thought as I swiftly swiped some bread and hid it in my coat. Nonchalantly, I started to walk out. I was sweating with fear by now. Suddenly, I feel a hand gently touch my shoulder and I whip around startled. It was the man. He had this stern yet at the same time, kind look in his eyes. He bent down a bit to become eye level with me as he said

"I do believe you have something of mine."

I stared at the ground as I slowly unsheathed the bread and returned it to him. _Crap. Now he's going to turn me in!_ My body shook with fear again as I waited for him to do something. Instead, he said

"I am not going to give you trouble." What? I quickly looked up at the man in disbelief. Not turn me in? But why? The man smiled and must have read my expressions.

"I understand why you did what you did. So, I have an option for you: I collaborate at the Museum of Natural History and the Professor I work with needs an assistant. You may take that task and I will help provide you a home. And in return, the Professor and I need help bringing some delivering some exhibits to the museum. What do you say?"

I stood there dumbfounded. Here was this man that I just stole food from, helping me with providing for my welfare. How did know about me? Can I trust him? Making up my mind, I made my decision that would change my life forever.

"I'll do it."

 **Time Skip**

It was around November, almost 3 months since I met Captain Neweyes and Professor Bleeb. Both were really nice to me and helped me out with my life. I loved my job. I repaired some of the sound equipment, made information booklets and sometimes helped with some of the tours when the kids came on field trips. Now, Captain Neweyes was on his way to pick up the special exhibits. It was then that I also met Vorb. Constantly flying around, Vorb was very chatty and energetic. He and I became good friends. At the moment, he had been helping the Captain getting ready to leave. Right before Neweyes left, however, he told me:

"Elise, tomorrow wait by the north side docks. I'll be dropping the exhibits off for you to bring them here. I know you are capable of many things. These exhibits will help you see that. Remember; don't let your past keep you from creating a future. I'll see you soon."

And with that, the Captain left. I had no idea what he meant by the exhibits helping me with my life. Well, I guess I'll find out in time. After he left, I left to my sleeping place. Yes, I said sleeping place. When I say sleeping place, I mean I sleep in one of the exhibition rooms. The Professor didn't mind that I did it or where, just as long as I didn't do anything stupid. That night, I decided to sleep in the dinosaur room. I had made plans to meet with Louie, another runaway, the next day but I guess he wouldn't mind. Before I fell asleep, I mediated on the Captain's words.

 **Don't let your past keep you from creating a future.**

It didn't seem like good advice in my case. I still couldn't get over my parents. It had been almost a year now and I was still grieving. A tear escaped my eye as I thought

 _I wish my parents were still here. I wish I had a family._

But stuff like that didn't happen. One can only hope.


	2. A Simple Wish

Rex was getting used to the ship ever since he had been changed by the Brain Grain cereal. He, Dweeb, Woog and Elsa had been getting along, despite the fact that they were enemies beforehand. It wasn't long afterwards before Vorb flew in the room where the four sat and beckoned them to the cockpit to meet Captain Neweyes. Rex looked to Dweeb for a potential answer but received a shoulder shrug in return. So, the dinosaurs followed Vorb, each wondering who the captain of the mysterious ship was and why they were there. Once they arrived to the meeting place, it was a magnificent sight. There were plants everywhere and water sprinkling from the ceiling.  
"Wow!" Rex murmured. He had never seen anything like it.  
"Greetings, friends, and welcome to my ship." A voice spoke up from behind one of the plants. All four dinos turned in direction of the voice. It belonged to an elderly man with white hair and a mustache that stepped out and picked up a cup of coffee. His kind eyes twinkled with joy and wonder.  
"I'm Captain Neweyes I live in the far future. I'm Captain Neweyes I live in the far future where all the species on all the planets have had to learn to get along, eh, Vorb?" He turned to the lively alien that had brought them there earlier.  
"That's the truth, skipper." Said alien nodded in reply. The Captain continued.  
"I've made a fortune out of my Brain Grain cereal, and now in my golden years, I'm trying to give something back. I'm trying to make a few wishes come true, and to that end, I invented this." With that, he swept his hand over to a radio. It did look like one. But instead of standard tuning labels, it bore "Past", "Present", "Middle Future", and "Future".  
Neweyes made his way over to the small machine and turned to the group.  
"It's a wish radio. With it, I can hear what people are wishing for, especially young people because they wish the loudest. Now, let me tune into this one station in the middle future." He explained as he delicately attempted to "tune into the station". Then to the group's surprise, out of the radio came bubbles that carried whispers. Each bubble and whisper was a child.  
 **I wish I had a moustache just like Daddy.**  
 **I wish...**  
 **I wish my sister was nicer to me.**  
 **I wish all the dinosaurs would be here right now.**  
 **I wish I could see a Tyrannosaurus Rex.**  
At the mention of his name, Rex's head snapped to attention.  
"Rex? Why, Captain, that's me. That's me."  
 **I wish I could see one of those flying dinosaurs.**  
Now it was Elsa's turn to blush.  
"Why, that's me. I fly." She said.  
 **I wish I could see a padasaurus.**  
"This is great." Dweeb stated as he looked in awe at the many kids who wanted to see them.  
 **I wish I could see a triceratops.**  
 **I wish I could see more dinosaurs. Dinosaurs.**  
"Son of a gunosaur, that's us." Woog practically shouted. Neweyes chuckled at the group's reactions to each wish.  
"That's right. That's you. There are a lot of children down there in this one particular timeThere are a lot of children down there in this one particular time that miss you, and they're wishing for you. I've never heard a louder wish. So I gave you all Brain Grain, and now you're smart enough to make up your own minds." "Who's that?" The T-Rex asked as he looked at the children in a bubble.  
"They're young people, boys and girls, they want to meet you. What do you say?"  
One particular bubble caught Rex's attention. There was a teenage girl holding an instrument of some sort and playing a sad melody. (A/N: please refer to the video/sound clip at the top of the page!)  
 _ **I wish I had a family.**_  
 _ **I wish my parents were still here.**_  
Rex was confused by her wish but also saddened by her emotional state. She looked special, compared to the other children. Sure, she was older and physically looked different but he thought there was more to it than that. He made up his mind.  
"We'll do it."  
The others all nodded in agreement. The Captain smiled at their response and told them as he threw up some smoke and brought out a projector, projecting images of three people  
"Now, there are two people down there you should know about. One person is there to help you. Her name is Dr. Juliet Bleeb. She knows you're coming. She needs you to fulfill the wishes of many children. Her address is The Museum of Natural History. She also has an assistant, Elise. She will help you find your way." A girl appeared next to the image of Dr. Bleeb. She was a brunette with a fedora on her head. Her eyes were sparked with creativity and imagination. It wasn't until then that Rex suddenly realized that the image before him was the girl from before. Before he can process anything, Neweyes continued on.  
"Now, the other person you should know about is my brother, professor Screweyes. He's cruel. He's insane. He travels around down in this time causing mischief. He was driven mad by the loss of his eye long ago. My advice to you is find Dr. Bleeb and Eli and stay well clear of my dark and unhappy brother. Beyond that, just try not to step on anybody." Neweyes turned the projector off and suddenly the bay doors flew open.  
"Farewell, my friends!" He shouted over the rush of the wind.  
And with that the four dinosaurs were pushed off the ship and were free-falling in mid-air.


	3. Welcome to NYC!

Louie and I had just started sailing on our raft and making breakfast when I saw 4 strange reflections in the water. I looked up and saw something I thought would never happen: free-falling dinosaurs.

"Louie, we need to move, like right now!" I told him.

"Elise, chill. It's not like the coast guard is after us. Louie replied, waving me off.

"It's not the coast guard I'm worried about." I said.

Next thing I knew, there was a splash and I am in the water. I saw remnants of the raft and looked around for Louie. He was thrashing around and struggling to keep afloat. Remembering the reason we were in the water, I whipped my head toward the "bandits". Not far from where our raft used to be, sat the four eggheads! They were mumbling about how pretty the city was.

"Magnificent." The pterodactyl said.

"Gee whiz." whispered the hadrosaur.

"What is it?" the purple one asked

"It's New York City, you morons." Louie shouted.

They all turned the heads toward Louie and gasped. Louie managed to grab his skateboard as the orange T-rex pulled him up onto their inflated raft, saying

"Whoa there, little fella."

"Hi, my name's Dweeb." The hadrosaur spoke up.

"I'm Woog." The blue triceratops piped in.

"I'm Elsa." The pterodactyl greeted elegantly.

 _Hmph. At least she has manners._ I thought.

"The name's Rex. What's yours?" the T-rex introduced himself. All the while, Louie looked like he was going to faint.

"I think my name's Louie, but seeing you guys is giving me doubts about my brain." He finally said.

I mentally face palmed myself.

"Don't listen to him. It's just his ego is deflated by the sight of you guys." I somewhat shouted as I swam over. Rex was kind enough to lift me up onto the raft.

"The name's Elise, current street musician of New York City and volunteer at the Museum of Natural History."

"Dinosaurs, you do got that look. I mean, you are big."

"Well, you're very small."

"I'm big enough to suit my own purposes. What are you, a bat?"

"I'm a pterodactyl, actually."

"Well, what are you?"

"I was a runaway to the circus till you clowns sank me."

"What's the circus?"

"What's the circus? It's the big top, leatherhead. Show business. You guys ain't lived. Where you guys going, anyways?"

"We're going to The Museum of Natural History."

"That's perfect. There's a circus showing in Central Park. One's right by the other. Give me a lift to the circus, take a gander, and cross right over to the museum. Plus, Elise volunteers at the museum. She can help you guys out. Showing up with a pack of dinosaurs should put me in real solid with the ringmaster. What do you say?"

"Well, I'm game."

"Okay."

"Certainly."

"Okay, yeah."

And with that, we made our way towards the docks. I suddenly remembered that these dinosaurs were probably the exhibits that the Captain told me to bring in. I sighed. Seriously? These are the exhibits? _He_ _really knows how to make things hard for me._ **Thump!** The raft bumped into one of the docks. We all got off and Louie smiled, saying:

"Welcome to New York City."

The four dinosaurs tilted their heads up to take the view of the city in, but I think Rex bent back too far, because he had lost his footing, fell in the water and by accident, knocked me in the water unconscious. As I slowly closed my eyes, cold water enveloped me and the last thing I saw was Rex thrashing in the water.

3rd POV

Elise had been knocked into the water accidently by Rex, who was also in the water.

"Elise! Rex! Hang on, big fella! Lift me up. Think, think, think, think, think. Think, Louie, think." Louie muttered as he was lifted into a forklift to try and get his two friends out.

"Help! I can't swim!" Rex yelled.

The usually smooth-talking street savoir faire boy was now panicking and randomly pressing buttons, trying anything to get the lift to get Rex out. Finally, he found the right one and it started to lower.

"Okay. Grab on!" Louie yelled.

While other three dinosaurs helped pulled Rex out, Louie clambered out, and dived into the water to rescue his other friend. Once he pulled her out, Louie really got worried.

Elise wasn't breathing. But after 5 minutes, she coughed.

Elise's POV

My eyes snapped open and I coughed repeatedly, spewing sea water on the deck.

Elsa, Dweeb, and Woog turned my way and asked if I was alright. I could barely get a word out because of all the coughing I did to make up for my lack of air from almost drowning.

"Elise! Are you alright?" Louie asked. I struggled for even more air as he hugged me a bit too tight for comfort.

"I would be if you would let me breathe." I gasped. He quickly let go and turned to Rex who was just starting to wake up also.

Rex's POV

 _ **I wish. I wish.**_

The whispers are what brought him back to reality.

 _ **I wish I had a family.**_

 _ **I wish my parents were still here.**_

That voice sounded like a girl's.

 _I know you._ He thought.

Rex opened his eyes and turned towards Elise. As he did so, the whispers grew louder. Elise looked wet, shivering and struggling to breathe.

"Are you alright, kiddo?" Rex asked her. She jerked a bit, but then nodded in reply.

He then turned to Louie.

"Is she alright?" he asked, bent down.

"Yeah I think so. You accidently knocked her in when you fell in." the boy replied.

The T-rex then straightened up and lumbered over to the shivering girl. He didn't think she was in a well enough state to walk. So, he crouched down and gently lifted her up onto his back with his tail. Elise was much obliged because within seconds, she mumbled something like, 'Thank you, Rex.' and fell asleep. Rex smiled and started to follow the others. As he caught up, he started to think back to her wish. What did she mean when she wished for a family and for parents to be with here? Where were her parents? Rex decided that he would ask about that later. Right now, their mission was to get to the museum.


	4. Trying to Blend In

"You know, New York isn't ready for you guys. We need a plan." Louie pondered. He had been trying to think of a way to get the dinosaurs through the streets of New York without anyone noticing. But that was going to be a bit difficult. Now, they were all in a back alley for the time being.

"I got it. You, the bat." He pointed to Elsa.

"I'm not a bat. I'm a pterodactyl." she said to him with a rather annoyed look.

"Can you fly?" Louie asked, going up to her. Elsa then smiled, as if flying was something she **wasn't** born for. Louie climbed on and they took off. Right after they left, I woke up. After 10 minutes or so, Woog was getting hungry. Dweeb was attempting to have him stay out of sight from people, while Rex began to worry.

"I hope they're okay." he said.

"They're fine, big guy. It's okay. Elsa is probably still scaring Louie with her flying techniques." I said reassuringly as I patted his leg. Rex seemed to relax at my efforts and he smiled. Suddenly, Dweeb cried out and pointed to what looked like Elsa, Louie and another person tagging along.

"Oh, they have a little girl with them!" Rex exclaimed in excitement. They landed and Louie then made the introductions to everyone regarding our newest edition. I found out that her name was Cecilia Nuthatch. She reminded me of Elsa, only smaller. She seemed nice. At least she had parents. Anyways, after the wierd meet and greets from each of the gang, Louie seemed starstruck once he **stared into her eyes long enough!** I face palmed, walked over to Louie and smacked him after Rex caught on to Louie's puppy love moment.

"So Louie, did you find us a way through town or not?" I asked. He glared at me.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I did. Come on!" Louie then ran off, expecting us to follow his lead.

I shook my head in disbelief.

 _Remind me again why I'm friends with him again?_

(Time Skip)

It turns out, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was going on, so Louie decided to have the gang pretend to be robotic dinosaurs in one of the floats. Although, I couldn't figure out how, for the life of me, Louie managed to "hijack" the float. Louie and Cecilia went to the top of the float and drove it while I remained on the street leading our float. It was actually kind of fun. The gang was pretending to animatronic, up until Rex burst out into song. What was going through his head?

"Rex, are you _trying_ to blow our cover?" I shouted to him. He ignored me. Once he had finished his song, a giant balloon had covered them, thus letting everyone know that they weren't robotic. People went into panic mode. Then, I suddenly heard Louie scream:

"Quick, split up. we'll meet you at the circus in Central Park." and with that he and Cecilia were swept away in a sea of scared people.

"Central Park? Where is Central Park?" Rex wondered. I was about to say where it was when I noticed a poster on the ground. I tapped Rex on the leg and pointed to it. He picked it up and read:

"Professor Screweyes' Eccentric Circus. Professor Screweyes! That's the bad guy. Now appearing in Central Park. Louie, Cecilia, they're in danger. we gotta save them." he said in alarm.

"Then let's go!" I shouted. But I stopped once I heard:

"You, there! Don't move! You're under arrest! Put your claws up!"

The popo had evidently found us. I wonder if they still remember that time I threw some food while trying to steal from the grocery store?

"Hey Bill, its her again! The one from the deli a week ago!"

 _Oh crap. They have a wonderful memory._

I turned to the gang who had questioning looks towards me. I fessed up.

"I stole some food last week and might have threw some at the police. Hey if you guys were living off the streets, what would you had done?" and I left it at that. At the moment, we had to lose the popo.

So much for blending in.


	5. Hot Pursuit

"Split up!" I shouted to the gang. I sprinted off in one direction (A/N: no pun intended!) while the others ran off in other directions. I heard a screech off tires before I glanced behind me. The police decided to break the speed limit and crazily drive after me, even though I was on foot! I really, really, really didn't want to go to juvie.  
Think, Elise! What would James Bond do?  
I then had an idea. Fishing around my backpack I had kept with me everywhere, I took out my hat and dropped it as I continued to run. I would leave a trail of my stuff leading to a false endpoint, while I would slip away from their patrol somewhere else.  
I turned off of Main Street and stopped to catch my breath. What happened to the others? I prayed that Woog wasn't trying to do anything stupid with his hunger for hotdogs. Elsa was probably have some trouble considering helicopters were also patrolling the city. Dweeb was most likely with Woog and Rex... Where was Rex?  
Before I could come up with an answer, I had unintentionally bumped into a dumpster and the sound echoed with a loud Thwump!  
Oh snickerdoodle.  
Weeoo weeoo!  
I started running away from the sirens. I didn't notice that Rex was practically near me.  
"Elise!" I quickly turned around and saw Rex using a red pickup truck as a skateboard!  
"Rex? What are you doing?" I asked with confusion.  
"Climb on. I'll explain later." And with that, I climbed in the empty driver's seat and shut the door. Rex started to push off and we made our way through the streets, narrowly avoiding the police. We skated through some back alleys until the sound of the sirens faded away. Rex brakes the homemade "skateboard" and I hopped out. We had stoppped right by Central Park. Dweeb, Woog and Elsa had finally managed to meet up with us. Now, the dark, almost deserted park stood before us. It seemed although that it was a horror movie, where a serial killer would pop up out of nowhere. The dinosaurs had nervous faces. So, I stepped forward and glanced back.

"So who wants to go first?"


	6. Screweyes' Circus

A crow fluttered its wings and flew across the trees. I flinched at the sound. I started to slow my pace making my way to the circus grounds but I got this bad vibe about the place. Like something bad was about to happen. Anyways, the gang was behind me and it seemed as though they felt the same thing I did.  
Why on earth would Louie and Cecilia go here to meet us?  
"Where do you think they are?" I asked aloud to no one in particular.  
"I don't know, Elise. Hopefully they're close. I don't like this place." Rex replied.  
"Me neither." I said. The fall leaves crunched under our every step. It seemed like a horror movie brought to life. As we continued to walk, I noticed tiny lights ahead. We must be getting closer. I thought. Within minutes, we made it to the edge of the circus grounds. But the kids were nowhere in sight. Suddenly, Rex and the others started to call out.  
"Louie! Cecilia!"  
I mentally face-palmed. Do they understand that they are dinosaurs and cannot be seen by anyone who can rat us out?  
"Guys. Hey! That's not going to work. They may not even.." My sentence was interrupted by Louie and Cecilia approaching us with what looked like the ringmaster, Professor Screweyes.  
"Be here." I uttered the last two words. The others also noticed their arrival and headed on over. Screweyes had worn all black and a top hat. But what really creeped me out was his metallic eye. It gave me chills. I suddenly thought back to my parents. Being alone and it being dark around me.  
"It's him. Professor Screweyes!" Rex started to panic. I had been snapped back to reality and the chill and cold slowly went away.  
"Hey guys chill out. We just joined his circus!" Louie said.  
"Joined his...Louie are you out of your mind!" I swiftly pulled him aside and grabbed the collar of his jacket.  
"Am I the only human being getting a bad vibe about this place or are you both just too stupid to realize how crazy you or anyone here is?! They were warned by their friend not to meet Professor Screweyes and you just happen to get them to meet you here." I whispered angrily. Apparently Screweyes caught on to what I was saying because he asked:  
"Warned by whom?"  
"Your brother." Rex replied. Wait this guy had a brother? Hopefully the other is not as creepy as this one.  
"So that's how you got here and why you can talk. He's fed you that Brain Grain stuff and he warned you about me, eh? Let him look to his own affairs. Did he show you that hokey wish radio of his?"  
"Yes, we heard what people are wishing for." Dweeb said with determination.  
"Well, I have a radio, too. Let me show you." Screweyes beckoned. Okay this is getting weird.  
"Nope, no way, nada. We don't want anything to do with you. Come on, kids. Come to the museum with us." Rex said. He had enough common sense to not stay. He started turning away.  
"They're not going anywhere. They are under contract to me for a very long time."  
"But these are the first children we've met." Elsa sadly said.  
"We like them." Rex added.  
"Hey, come on. It's gonna be all right." Louie spoke up and reassured them.  
"Louie, do you not understand what a contract is? Especially if it's long term?" I shouted now.  
"You practically just signed your own death wish!" I continued before my hand flew to my mouth. Dang it! Sometimes, I speak before I think.  
Everyone turned toward me. There was silence before Screweyes turned to the dinosaurs and said:

"Oh, I don't think so, unless we can work something out with your friends here. Hmm?"

 _Don't go. Something bad is going to happen!_

Screweyes then led us to a tent to 'work out a deal'. What I didn't know was that my nightmares would come true.


	7. Fright Night

As we entered the tent, I noticed a big radio in the middle of the room. _That must be the fright radio._ The air was cold and I could see my breath as I exhaled.

 _I don't like it here._ I thought.

Screweyes walked up to the radio and began to turn it on. Almost immediately, we could hear cries and wails coming from it. Then, a green-like mist appeared from the radio and the cries became whispers, whispers from children. Their worst fears. After a few minutes of listening, the one-eyed man grinned and turned to us, hoping that we got the point of the radio.

"Do you see what they're most afraid of?" he asked.

"No." the dinos replied.

"Monsters."

"Monsters?"

"You!"

"Us?"

 _What does this have to do with them? They aren't monsters._

"With a little help, yes." He then brought out what seemed like glowing green pills in a bucket. They screamed fear to me. I shivered.

"What's that?" Rex asked.

"It's Brain Drain. The remedy to my brother's goody two-shoes breakfast cereal. It'll take you back. It'll make you monsters."

I almost immediately caught on to what he was proposing.

"No." I said.

"But we don't want to be monsters." Woog said.

"Mmm-mmm." Agreed Dweeb.

"We're not taking anything. You can forget it." Rex declared seriously. But I could tell he was scared with what was going on too.

"All right, you're free. You can go. I can't stop you, but the kids are mine." Screweyes mentioned. With that, he stared into Cecilia's eyes, like she was under a trance.

"What are you doing? Don't look, Cecilia." Louie shouted, trying to cover her eyes to prevent her from looking.

"I can't help it." She said. But it was too late. They both continued to stare. I looked away, fearing I might do the same.

"Among my many other rights under this contract, including copyrights on all their ideas, I've got an exclusive option on their willpower. Now, this is just a temporary dose, by way of demonstration."

Within seconds, the two kids I had grown to love were gone and in their place sat two chimps that had the same clothes. I felt my blood boil in anger. _This…this maniac!_

Rex started to get angry as well because he growled

"Change them back, or I'll…" but Screweyes interrupted him, saying

"Or you'll what? You're too enlightened by my brother's Brain Grain. You've lost your savagery. You've lost your frightening, prehistoric power to intimidate. You're civilized now and I've got a contract, and you're gonna respect that like the chumps that you are. But I'll tell you what I'd be willing to do. You all agree to take the Brain Drain, and I'll rip up this contract and set the kids free. If you don't take it, bill them as the wild children of Hellzapoppin, and use them to scare people in the sideshow. It's up to you."

"I'll take it." Rex finally said, defeated.

"What?! No! Don't do it!" I shouted. How could they give up? They are sacrificing themselves for them! There had to be something I could do!

"And I'll take it, you loathsome creature." Elsa piped up.

"I'll do it." Dweeb said

"Me, too." Woog agreed.

 _Has everyone lost their mind?!_

"Good, now you come with me. You're going to have to be kept in cages and chains, because you're gonna be wild again."

"NO! Don't you dare do that to them! They don't deserve it! Let them go! You're a crazy maniac!" I was literally yelling at this point as Woog, Elsa and Dweeb trudged towards the exit of the tent. I was panicking now. With the kids stuck as chimps and the gang going to be reverted to their natural form, I was going to be alone. I knew this was going to happen and I didn't do anything!

"Elise, Elise. It's going to be okay. Just get the kids and get out of here." Rex bent down and whispered to me.

"What about you guys? Are you crazy? You guys probably aren't coming back! I am not leaving you in the hands of this pyscho!" I cried.

"Don't be scared and don't worry about us. We'll be all right." He said with a sad smile. He gave me a reassuring squeeze with his tail. But it did nothing for me. I continued to quietly cry.

"Come on, you." Screweyes snapped.

"Rex, don't go! Don't leave me alone!" But he didn't listen. Rex left.

Screweyes menacingly came over to me and leaned so close to me that I could feel the cold and fear around him. His metallic eye stared down at me as he said

"Your fear was the loudest on my radio. You won't interfere with my show tomorrow, not while you're living your fear. Welcome to my Eccentric Circus." His voice started to distort as I felt to feel weak and blackspots covered my vision. _Nononononononono!_ I started to panic. My breathing became hitched and darkness overcame me. I slumped to the floor, beginning my nightmare.

 **Elise's Nightmare POV**

There was a cloak of darkness that wrapped around me. It was cold and I was alone. I started to hear voices, ones that I couldn't understand at first but they got closer and I could hear them.

"You brat."

"It should have been you that got killed in that filthy alley, not us. You want to know why?"

It was my parents' voices.

"Because we never loved you in the first place."

Suddenly, my mom and dad appeared in front of me. They had blood on their clothes that they had been wearing when they were killed.

"Who could ever love you? You even replaced us with another family." My "mom" sneered.

"You did nothing once we were gone!"

I started to sob. They were right. I did nothing but run away from their death. Guilt ate at my heart and insides.

"Stop! It's not true!" I tried to refute.

I wanted this to end already. It was too much. I tried so hard to bury my parents' death and feelings about it for a year. But it wasn't over. My 'parents' dematerialized and the gang emerged. What was worse, they were in their natural form.

"No." I murmured. I had to admit, I was scared of them when they were like this. These weren't the friends I knew.

 _This is what Screweyes wanted. My fear._

Just as quickly as the specters came, they vanished and I was enveloped in darkness once again. It became cold and I began to feel pain all over. The voices came back, taunting me in spite. I whimpered.

 _Please just stop. I don't want to be alone anymore._

I tried to ignore the voices, but they still poked and prodded. My nightmare continued on.


	8. Turning On the Light

**3** **rd** **POV**

It was show time at Professor Screweyes' Eccentric Circus. The dinosaurs were the last act of the show and right now things were not going well. The once filled 'auditorium' was now vacant, its spectators scared witless of the show. Professor Screweyes was the only person on stage with the dinosaurs, which were beginning to break his control. Rex picked the ringmaster up and started to bring him to his mouth. Stubbs, who was nearby with Louie and Cecilia, had panicked.

"The professor. He's gonna kill the professor!"

Louie realized what was going on and ran from his spot being the curtain. He had to talk Rex out of it. Louie knew that it was the only way of saving them.

"Rex, no. Don't do it."

Cecilia tried to stop Louie from getting hurt.

"Louie!" she cried out.

"What are you, crazy? You'll be pulverized." Stubbs shouted.

"No, don't do it." Louie said to Rex. _We need Elise. Where is she?_ He turned to Stubbs.

"Stubbs, go find Elise! I might need her help to calm him down!" and with that, the circus clown sped away in search of the musician. Hopefully, everything would turn out okay.

 **Stubbs' POV**

As he left to find the other girl, Stubbs hoped that boy wouldn't do anything worse than he was doing. Stubbs remembered the night before that Screweyes mentioned that he left the girl in the tent with the radio, so he ran to it. Once he made it to the tent, he saw Elise on the floor shivering and in pain. Her eyes were open but they were unaware of their surroundings.

 _The poor kid. The professor must have given his fear drug to her._ He assumed. He scooped her up in his arms and went back to the main show tent. Surprisingly, she was very light for someone her age, making it easy to carry her. They made it back in time to see Louie making very little progress with the dinosaurs.

 **3** **rd** **POV**

Louie was trying to get Rex to put Screweyes down but he wasn't listening to him.

"Don't ruin everything 'cause you're mad or scared of something. It can't be all about that, or what's life for? I know I act like I'm the original tough guy, but that's 'cause I'm scared, too." Louie said.

Rex growled and lifted one of his feet up. Louie moved away just in time to avoid being squished.

 _This isn't working!_

"Stubbs! Did you find her?" he yelled across the room. He quickly glanced to the side to see Stubbs placing Elise, who was unconscious, on the floor. _What happened to her?_

"Screweyes gave her one of his fear drugs. She's in pain." Stubbs told Louie sadly. Elise was unable to help.

 _Come on, Louie, think!_ Then, Louie tried one last time to get to Rex's senses.

"Rex, you've got nothing to prove. You're a giant. Don't be a midget bully boy for these yahoos. Put him down, Rex. Rex. Please, please! Listen to me. Think of Elise. She's living her own nightmare right now. You guys are both trapped in your own fear. She needs you. I need you now, Rex. Put him down. Please."

Suddenly, a scream split the air. Louie turned and found it came from Elise. She was twitching in pain. Rex turned his head toward her and there was a flash of fear in Rex's eyes.

 _Whatever is happening to her, I wish it would end._ Louie hoped.

Louie closed his teary eyes and waited. Rex began to slowly calm down and revert back. He then put Screweyes down. When Louie opened his eyes, he jumped for joy.

"Way to go, Rex!"

Cecilia and Stubbs both sighed in relief and Cecilia ran over to the two. She hugged them. They both then ran up to Elsa, Dweeb and Woog to get them back. With each hug, the dinosaurs returned to normal. All they need was love and comfort. It seemed as though everything was going to be okay. Suddenly, bright lights lit up the top of the tent and Captain Neweyes' ship came in.

 **Rex's POV**

When Rex saw Captain Neweyes' ship arrive, he couldn't have felt happier. With the help of Vorb, their chains holding them to the floor were broken. An elevator came down from the ship carrying Neweyes. He stepped off and approached his brother.

"I should've known you were behind this." Screweyes said accusingly.

"You'd already lost by the time I'd arrived. This boy had beaten you." His brother said walking to Louie and patted him on the shoulder.

"Louie?" Rex said.

"You all right, Rex?" the boy asked

"Did I do anything bad?"

"No, you were great."

Then Rex relaxed but then remembered Elise.

"Is Elise okay?" he then asked worriedly. He had her scream when he was…changed. It had scared him, that scream. It sounded like she was scared, frightened even.

"Oh no Elise!" Louie ran off to where Stubbs was and Rex followed. He wished he hadn't because when he did, he didn't like what he saw. Elise was still shivering and rocking back and forth. Her eyes were unfocused. Rex was heartbroken to see one of his friends like this. _Aww kiddo. What happened to you?_ What could he do to help?

"Elise…" He said.

 **General 3** **rd** **POV**

"Come on, Elise. Everything's okay now." Louie tried gently shaking her but she still was locked in her trance. Louie, Rex and the others felt helpless as they watch their friend unable to break her nightmare. Neweyes was deep in thought when he noticed Elise. He motioned Stubbs to come over and speak with him privately. They conversed for a moment or two before they came over to the sick girl. Neweyes knelt next to Elise and picked her up. As he looked down at her fearful face, he said to the gang:

"She's going to be fine. I have a remedy on the ship that just might work." He reassured them. Neweyes walked passed his brother and very curtly said

"I hope you are happy for what you have done to an innocent child."

Woog, Dweeb, Elsa and Rex followed the Captain, along with Louie and Cecilia. They boarded the ship and were off to the museum. Finally, they were safe. Once they got to the museum, Neweyes brought Elise to a couch in the library and set her down. _This is not good. I hope the remedy works._ Neweyes prayed. He went to go get the medicine, leaving the gang and the two kids with the unconscious girl. Everyone was worried about what would happen to her. Louie felt guilty most of all. He had run off and put everyone in danger. Elise would never forgive him for that. He left the room to have a moment alone and Cecilia followed him.

The dinosaurs were no better. Elsa was brushing the girl's hair away from her face with a devastating look. She looked to the others for comfort.

"She had better be okay. If not, then…" she couldn't finish before she broke down in tears. Dweeb hugged Elsa to relax her. No one thought their journey could end this. Woog started to tear up and he laid down next to the couch. He wasn't leaving Elise until she was better. Rex hung his head in sadness. Thoughts whizzed by in his mind about Elise. Her wish, her job to help guide them to the museum and her bravery and determination. _Come on kiddo. You gotta make it. We wouldn't have got here without you._ Rex thought. He walked over to the couch and sat on the other side opposite of where Woog was. If Woog wasn't moving, then neither was he. He kept glancing over between the door where Neweyes left in and Elise. The dinosaurs sat in silence as they waited for Neweyes to come back and sure enough, he did, carrying a cup with a strange colored liquid. He moved to Elise and softly lifted her head up as he helped her drink the antidote. There was an eerie silence as they all waited for a miracle. No one spoke.

 **Elise's POV**

I was being attacked by spiders this time when I heard the voices again. But they were different than the ones I heard before. These were calming and soothing.

 _Let go, Elise._

 _Be brave._

 _Don't give in._

 _I wish._

 _Come on kiddo. You gotta make it. We wouldn't have got here without you._

That was Rex's voice! I was sure of it!

"Rex?"

 _I won't give into my fear. I won't give into my fear. I won't give into my fear._ I repeated over and over in my head. The more I did, the more the fear specters went away. But my 'parents' were still there. They were flickering, like a candle that was being put out. I glared at them.

"You're wrong, you know. Even though I never did something after your deaths, no one says I can't start." They continued to flicker but this time, they were slowly disappearing.

"I have friends that I will always be there for. I am loved and I will not give in to my fears!" I shouted. Suddenly, the darkness that had surrounded me was no swirling in circles. I began to get dizzy and I shook my head to clear it. When I did, I saw the blurred outlined figures of the gang.

"Dweeb? Elsa? Woog? Rex?" I questioned my sanity. Was I still trapped or did I break free? The room stopped swirling and my vision became more focused. The gang was here!

"Elise!" Elsa joyfully cried out. I was glumped by a purple set of wings and I smiled.

"Oh, I thought…"

"It's okay, Elsa. I'm alright." I said.

"You all gave us heart attacks, Elise." Neweyes said to me. "But we are glad to have you back."

I hugged myself in order to make sure I wasn't imagining things. They were all here. Then I noticed the kids weren't.

"What happened to Louie and Cecilia? Are they okay? Are they here?" I blurted out. Just thinking about the different scenarios about what happened to them made my heart ache.

"Louie and Cecilia are fine. They are in the other room." Neweyes reassured me. He nodded to Dweeb, who left to go get them and bring them in.

"Are you okay, Elise?" Rex bent down to inspect any sign of injury that might have had. His face read worry all over. My thoughts went back to my nightmare. _Who could ever love you?_ _You are weak._ Nope. I am not going to think about that. Go away. My brain was fighting myself as Elsa flew over and put a hand over my shoulder.

"Elise? Elise dear, are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh yeah. I'm fine." Her voice snapped me back to reality.

I had received a death stare from the pterodactyl, making me shudder.

"Really! I'm fine!" I exclaimed in exasperation. Elsa nodded, satisfied to know that I wasn't going to fall over in pain anytime soon. The door to the library opened and in walked Louie and Cecilia. Louie pretty much ran me over and hugged me.

"Elise! I'm so glad you're alright! I'm so sorry for everything. I messed it all up." He apologized in one breath. I quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Why are you apologizing? You saved us, Louie. If it weren't for you, we would probably still be there and not here. It took bravery and wits to do what you did. It looks to me that you are the hero, Louie." I meant every word of what I said. Louie had all of our backs from the very beginning and he helped us out in the end when we truly needed it. When I was done with my little speech, Louie was tearing up a little and he hugged me again.

"Louie, are you crying?"

"No. I just got something in my eye." He replied, wiping his tears with his sleeve and sniffled. I chuckled and shook my head. _Tough guy on the outside, teddy bear on the inside._ I thought. I was thankful to be with my new friends. If it hadn't been for them, I wouldn't have overcome my past. I remember reading a book, a wise character said:

 _ **"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."**_

I guess he was right.


	9. AN

Hi everyone! I hope you all enjoyed We're Back! A Musician's Story! I will be posting one more chapter for this fanfic: the epilogue and then that will be it! Just a reminder: those of you who do not know already, I have a mini-series on We're Back! It has the same characters including my OC. It takes place a few weeks (ish) after the main story. Its called We're Back! Elise's Mini-series **.** I want to thank everybody who has read, faved and reviewed this story! Thank you SO MUCH! If you guys have any suggestions for another story or some complaints, (I don't care) I am open to them!


	10. Epilogue

After their journey, the dinosaurs and the kids enjoyed their time in New York. The gang spent most of the time at the museum. Louie and Cecilia helped out in giving various tours whenever they could and they had started dating. Elise, on the other hand, hadn't really recovered from her trauma from the circus. Although she never told anyone about her experience, there were a few people who could tell that there was something wrong. Louie, having known Elise for a while, was one. He had seen her staring blankly into space and sometimes just working nonstop. Neweyes assured him it was her way of coping but Louie didn't think so. It worried him that Elise hadn't spoken to anyone about it.

 _I have to talk to her._ He thought. It had been weeks since the two of them actually had a sit-down conversation together and Louie believed that this wouldn't be the best thing to start it off. Nervously, he went to Elise's work space and looked in. She was immersed in fixing the sound system of one of the exhibits. Louie knocked and waited.

 **Elise's POV**

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard a knock from the entrance of the room. Looking up from my work, I saw Louie standing in the doorway. He had this worried look on his face. Quirking an eyebrow, I asked:

"Are you okay, Louie?"

He just shook his head and made his way over to me and sat down.

"You need to stop this, Elise." He said. I gave him a confused look. _Stop what?_

"Stop what?"

"When was the last time you slept?"

 _Well, that didn't really answer my question._

I couldn't answer. Louie scooted closer to me to look at me directly.

"Elise, you're worrying me and everyone else. Ever since the circus, you haven't slept and you're not talking to anyone."

He was right, you know. I had been ignoring all of my friends. But Louie didn't understand what I had gone through back then.

"I have my reason." I replied simply.

"Then what is it?"

I suddenly exploded.

"You will never understand what I went through when I was at that place! That drug _**he**_ gave me traumatized me for weeks. I heard my parent's voices, berating me, telling me that I killed them. I dreamt that the others were monsters trying to kill me! That fear and guilt scarred me pretty deep. Ever since then, I haven't slept for weeks because of that. That's why I haven't talked to anyone in this place because I don't want anyone to pity me or understand!" I shouted.

 **3** **rd** **POV**

Rex was in his usual spot in the library that afternoon. He hadn't really slept and was a bit tired. A few minutes after coming in, Woog, Dweeb and Elsa arrived.

"Hi everyone." He greeted. Elsa nodded her head in return.

"Hi Rex!" was Dweeb's response. Woog was busy eating hot dogs to answer. Rex took a faithful look across the room to Elise's work room. She hadn't spoken to him after her return from the circus. It worried him that she didn't come out of her room yet. Louie told him that he was going to try to talk to her today.

"Rex, I'm sure everything will turn out alright." Elsa reassured him. He sadly smiled.

"I hope so." He said. Suddenly, there was shouting coming from the music and art exhibit. Everyone tuned their heads toward the closed door to the exhibit and strained their ears to listen to the conversation.

"You will never understand what I went through when I was at that place! That drug _**he**_ gave me traumatized me for weeks. I heard my parent's voices, berating me, telling me that I killed them. I dreamt that the others were monsters trying to kill me! That fear and guilt scarred me pretty deep. Ever since then, I haven't slept for weeks because of that. That's why I haven't talked to anyone in this place because I don't want anyone to pity me or understand!"

It was obviously Elise who had spoken. Rex's heart was pained by the details of her nightmares. Their monster counterparts were terrorizing her.

 _I didn't think it was that bad._ He thought.

Elsa gasped in horror. She was horrified that the girl they had come to love was traumatized on the inside.

 _Oh that poor girl!_

"It sounds like that talk didn't go so well." Dweeb announced. The others were remained silent as they waited.

 **Elise's POV**

There was silence after my outburst. I had never lost my temper with anyone. Louie didn't seem fazed as he sat there quietly and said:

"You should have said something or talked to one of us."

I looked away as I answered:

"I needed time to cope. Every time I try, I have flashbacks."

Louie started to get up and he held out a hand for me to get up also.

"You've have always been a part of this messed up group ever since you help us. We're your friends, Elise. Nothing changes that."

I stared at his outstretched hand for what seemed like forever before finally grasping it with my own hand and heaving myself up.

"Come on. There are some 'people' who are worried about you." Louie said as he gestured toward the door. I stopped and froze, suddenly realizing what he was doing.

 _No no no. I can't do this! What would they say? I'm not ready!_ My brain was screaming at me.

"Elise? Elise listen, I'll be right there with you. A'right?"

I barely nodded as I hesitantly walked up to the door and slowly pushed it open. Silence followed as I looked at the gang and realized that they heard everything. I felt tears threaten to fall and I opened my mouth to try and speak but couldn't find any words. Louie was unsure on what to say. Minutes passed before anyone spoke.

"I didn't want to burden anyone. You guys have been through enough." I found myself saying as I stared at the floor. I heard footsteps come up beside me. I didn't realize that they were Dweeb's until I saw green.

"You know, Elise, It looks like you've been through more than we have." Dweeb stated as he brought me into a hug. I immediately returned the hug and started to cry. Dweeb was right. Weeks after the circus, I kept all of my emotions bottled up and didn't talk to anyone about it. Not telling them about it just made it worse on me and them. Louie brought some tissues over to me and hugged me.

"You're not alone." He said with a smile. Rex came over and bent down, looking at me with concern.

"If there's anything you need, I won't be far away." He paused and continued.

"Elise, you told me you played to help your heart," he placed his arm over his heart, like the way I did when I first told him. I nodded in understanding. I looked at the others and beckoned them to follow me into the music exhibit. I strolled over to the piano that was in the corner of one of the exhibits and sat down. It was an electronic piano, so I turned it on and adjusted the instrumentation. Glancing at the gang, I started to play.

Ohhh  
I have been searching for your touch  
Unlike any touch I've ever known  
And I never thought about you much  
Til I'm broken down and all alone, ohhh  
Though I don't understand the meaning of love  
I do not mind if I die trying, ohhh  
Took it for granted when you lifted me up

I'm asking for your help  
I am going through hell  
Afraid nothing can save me but the sound of your voice  
You cut out all the noise  
And now that I can see mistakes so clearly now  
I'd kill if I could take you back

But how?  
But how?  
But how?  
But how?

Ohh yeh  
Why must we be so ugly  
And please do not think ill of me  
Why does the one you love  
Become the one who makes you want to cry  
Why?  
Why?  
Why?  
And how?  
How?  
But I don't understand the meaning of love  
I do not mind if I die trying  
I do not mind if I die trying  
I do not mind if I die trying

How? Well, I guess you just have to wait and see.


End file.
